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Sheila Kelley (American actress)
Encyclopedia
Sheila Kelley is an American television actress. She is best known for her roles as Gwen Taylor on L.A. Law
and as Dr. Charlotte "Charley" Bennett Hayes on Sisters
.
, to Catherine Holway Thom Kelley, a registered nurse and Dr. Jay Hilary Kelley, professor emeritus, School of Mineral and Energy Resources, West Virginia University
. Kelley studied ballet at a young age and matriculated into New York University's Tisch School of Arts for further study. After the advice of doctors who were worried about the consequences of the rigorous dance training on her hips, she redirected her studies to film directing and acting. She also studied with Michael Howard. She was encouraged to pursue her passion for acting by her high school principal, Dr. George Vollrath, and ultimately moved to California in order to advance her career.
from 1990-1993. Most of her work has been in guest roles on American TV series, although she notably played a stripper and performed a seductive dance routine onscreen in the 2000 feature film Dancing at the Blue Iguana
.
After her role in this movie she went on to create a new feminine movement called S Factor. She is considered one of the very first pioneers of the Pole Dancing Workout. Since its inception over a decade ago, 7 studios have been opened in the United States. It is one of the most well known and successful studios of its kind. However it is unique in that it features an ever evolving curriculum that is often imitated. She fuses pilates, yoga, and her knowledge of classical ballet into a workout that eventually involves the use of the pole. The movement, as she calls it, is growing. There are studios in the major cities, LA, NYC, and Chicago. In addition, there are a few scattered in California and one studio in Houston.
Kelley was cast in a recurring role on season six of Lost
, playing a character named Zoe.
.
Following her role as a stripper in the film "Dancing at the Blue Iguana
," in which she performed a seductive strip routine, she became a fan of pole dancing. Kelley has since become noted for her "S Factor" national exercise studios:(LA (3), San Francisco, New York, Chicago and Houston) and her book, "S Factor: Strip Workouts for Every Woman," and DVDs,. Sheila's copyrighted feminine fitness program incorporates Pilates, yoga, stretching and uniquely designed pole dance routines which develop tone, muscle, fluidity of movement and confidence. She also publishes a monthly editorial which addresses women's issues available at www.sfactor.com.
Kelley formed The Elephant Company, a theatre
group, in the 1980s.
L.A. Law
L.A. Law is a US television legal drama that ran on NBC from September 15, 1986 to May 19, 1994. L.A. Law reflected the social and cultural ideologies of the 1980s and early 1990s and many of the cases featured on the show dealt with hot topic issues such as abortion, racism, gay rights,...
and as Dr. Charlotte "Charley" Bennett Hayes on Sisters
Sisters (TV series)
Sisters is a television drama which aired on NBC for six seasons, from 1991 to 1996. The series was created by Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman, who also created the Showtime series Queer as Folk and wrote the acclaimed Emmy and Peabody Award winning drama An Early Frost, also for NBC...
.
Early life
Kelley was born in Greensburg, PennsylvaniaGreensburg, Pennsylvania
Greensburg is a city in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States, and a part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. The city is named after Nathanael Greene, a major general of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War...
, to Catherine Holway Thom Kelley, a registered nurse and Dr. Jay Hilary Kelley, professor emeritus, School of Mineral and Energy Resources, West Virginia University
West Virginia University
West Virginia University is a public research university in Morgantown, West Virginia, USA. Other campuses include: West Virginia University at Parkersburg in Parkersburg; West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Montgomery; Potomac State College of West Virginia University in Keyser;...
. Kelley studied ballet at a young age and matriculated into New York University's Tisch School of Arts for further study. After the advice of doctors who were worried about the consequences of the rigorous dance training on her hips, she redirected her studies to film directing and acting. She also studied with Michael Howard. She was encouraged to pursue her passion for acting by her high school principal, Dr. George Vollrath, and ultimately moved to California in order to advance her career.
Career
Kelley began her acting career in the 1980s in television, with her first credited TV role in 1987. She played the character Gwen Taylor in the legal drama L.A. LawL.A. Law
L.A. Law is a US television legal drama that ran on NBC from September 15, 1986 to May 19, 1994. L.A. Law reflected the social and cultural ideologies of the 1980s and early 1990s and many of the cases featured on the show dealt with hot topic issues such as abortion, racism, gay rights,...
from 1990-1993. Most of her work has been in guest roles on American TV series, although she notably played a stripper and performed a seductive dance routine onscreen in the 2000 feature film Dancing at the Blue Iguana
Dancing at the Blue Iguana
Dancing at the Blue Iguana is an American drama film, released in 2000, directed by Michael Radford about the lives of strippers in an adult club...
.
After her role in this movie she went on to create a new feminine movement called S Factor. She is considered one of the very first pioneers of the Pole Dancing Workout. Since its inception over a decade ago, 7 studios have been opened in the United States. It is one of the most well known and successful studios of its kind. However it is unique in that it features an ever evolving curriculum that is often imitated. She fuses pilates, yoga, and her knowledge of classical ballet into a workout that eventually involves the use of the pole. The movement, as she calls it, is growing. There are studios in the major cities, LA, NYC, and Chicago. In addition, there are a few scattered in California and one studio in Houston.
Kelley was cast in a recurring role on season six of Lost
Lost (TV series)
Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
, playing a character named Zoe.
Film roles
- Some GirlsSome Girls (film)-Synopsis:The story revolves around a college student Michael who goes to Quebec City, Canada for Christmas at the request of his college girlfriend Gabriella , after months of her stonewalling him after she left college in mid-semester....
(1988) - Staying Together (1989)
- Mortal Passions (1989)
- Breaking InBreaking InBreaking In is a 1989 American crime comedy film directed by Bill Forsyth, and written by John Sayles. It stars Burt Reynolds, Casey Siemaszko and Lorraine Toussaint. It is a movie about how professional small-time criminals live and practice their trades....
(1989) - Where the Heart IsWhere the Heart Is (1990 film)Where the Heart Is is a 1990 romantic comedy film directed by John Boorman, and starring Dabney Coleman and Uma Thurman.-Plot summary:Stewart McBain is a successful self-made demolitions expert who blows up buildings for a living. In the midst of one such project, a group of protesters stops the...
(1990) - Wild Blade (1991)
- SoapdishSoapdishSoapdish is a 1991 comedy film which tells a backstage story of the cast and crew of a popular fictional television soap opera. It stars Sally Field as an aging soap star, joined by Kevin Kline, Robert Downey, Jr., Elisabeth Shue, Whoopi Goldberg, Teri Hatcher, Cathy Moriarty, Garry Marshall, Kathy...
(1991) - Pure LuckPure LuckPure Luck is a 1991 American comedy film starring Martin Short and Danny Glover. It is remake of the popular French comedy film La Chèvre .- Plot :...
(1991) - Passion FishPassion FishPassion Fish is a 1992 American film written and directed by John Sayles. The film stars Mary McDonnell, Alfre Woodard, Vondie Curtis-Hall, David Strathairn, Leo Burmester, and Angela Bassett....
(1992) - Singles (1992)
- Private Debts (1993)
- Mona Must Die (1994)
- A Passion to Kill (1994)
- One Fine Day (1996)
- Santa Fe (1997)
- Nurse BettyNurse BettyNurse Betty is a 2000 American comedy film directed by Neil LaBute starring Renée Zellweger as a sweet Kansas waitress who undergoes a nervous breakdown after witnessing her husband's murder, and starts obsessively pursuing her favorite soap actor....
(2000) - Dancing at the Blue IguanaDancing at the Blue IguanaDancing at the Blue Iguana is an American drama film, released in 2000, directed by Michael Radford about the lives of strippers in an adult club...
(2000) (also listed as producer of this movie) - Matchstick MenMatchstick Men (film)Matchstick Men is a 2003 American drama film directed by Ridley Scott. Based on Eric Garcia's novel Matchstick Men: A Novel about Grifters with Issues , the motion picture stars Nicolas Cage, Sam Rockwell, and Alison Lohman.-Plot:...
(2003)
Personal life
Kelley is married to actor Richard SchiffRichard Schiff
Richard Schiff is an American actor. He is best known for playing Toby Ziegler on the NBC television drama The West Wing, a role for which he received an Emmy Award...
.
Following her role as a stripper in the film "Dancing at the Blue Iguana
Dancing at the Blue Iguana
Dancing at the Blue Iguana is an American drama film, released in 2000, directed by Michael Radford about the lives of strippers in an adult club...
," in which she performed a seductive strip routine, she became a fan of pole dancing. Kelley has since become noted for her "S Factor" national exercise studios:(LA (3), San Francisco, New York, Chicago and Houston) and her book, "S Factor: Strip Workouts for Every Woman," and DVDs,. Sheila's copyrighted feminine fitness program incorporates Pilates, yoga, stretching and uniquely designed pole dance routines which develop tone, muscle, fluidity of movement and confidence. She also publishes a monthly editorial which addresses women's issues available at www.sfactor.com.
Kelley formed The Elephant Company, a theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
group, in the 1980s.